1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fishing line implements and, more particularly, to fishing sinkers or weights which are applied to a fishing line to submerge a fishing lure or bait attached to the line to various depths in a body of water, and are capable of being readily threaded and removed from the fishing line, without the need for cutting the fishing line and retying the line.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fishing is an outdoor sport enjoyed by both young and old fishermen and women. The basic equipment for sport fishing include a barbed hook to hook the fish and a fishing line attached to the hook to pull the hooked fish to the fisherman. Various fishing tackle components, dependent on the type of fishing being undertaken, include rods, reels, floats, sinker weights, artificial bait, and beads.
Fishing tackle components are important to anglers for the function each component performs. For example, anglers use fishing sinkers to add weight to a fishing line and control the depth of the hook at the end of the line. Other fishing implements such as beads, which are light weight and have a hole through the longitudinal center, are also threaded to fishing lines for various purposes. Depending on the application and the fishing style, the angler will use sinkers and beads which are either in a sliding position or a fixed position. For example, for float fishing, a fishing sinker is attached to the fishing line near the fish hook. It is used to ensure that a baited fish hook drops to the depth where it is believed that fish are feeding. A bead is often used in the sliding position for slip float fishing. A line stop and the bead can prevent the float from sliding along the line beyond the line stop system. This, in effect fixes the depth of fishing, but does not limit the ability of a fishermen to reel-in the line.
Commercially available sinkers typically have an eyelet or hole through which the fishing line passes. Existing worm or bullet weights, with the eyelet or hole, can be used when an angler desires a sliding position for artificial lure fishing, such as is used in Texas or Carolina rig style fishing. With the sliding sinker style, the fishing line is inserted through the eyelet or hole and the sinker moves freely along the line in a sliding position. If an angler prefers a fixed position sinker, such as for float or bobber fishing, knots are tied in the line or on the line with a suitable material, to fix the position of the sinker. When the angler wishes to switch to a different style or size sinker, the line must be cut and a new sinker retied.
The primary advantage of using a slip sinker is that it allows a fish to pick up the lure or bait in its mouth and “run” with it for a short distance prior to swallowing it. Running with the lure or bait is a common behavior of many species of fish. It is thought that fish often behave in this manner in order to keep the lure or bait from the mouths of competing fish located nearby. Where the sinker is tied directly to the line, the fish feels its resistance almost immediately and often drops the lure or bait in alarm. The slip sinker eliminates this resistance and gives a fisherman a better chance to “set the hook” in the fish's mouth during the run.
However, as those who practice the art of fishing are well-aware, there are difficulties associated with having to cut, rethread, and retie one's fishing line in order to change the weight or size of a slip sinker. A common problem associated with fishing with slip sinkers is the time wasted in cutting, rethreading, and retying one's line in placing the weight on the line or in order to change the weight. This problem can be particularly annoying and troublesome for people who participate in fishing tournaments, as it is often necessary to quickly change or add weight to one's line when fishing in a tournament.
A second problem of conventional slip sinkers is that many people, such as young children or first-time fishermen, do not know how to properly tie a fishing knot. A few days spent trying to tie knots, and losing fish because of poorly tied knots, can frustrate and discourage even the most enthusiastic beginner. Poorly tied knots are one of the main reasons for losing fish.
Tying knots is extremely difficult on cold, wet, and windy days, even for experienced fishermen. In addition to the discomfort associate with trying to tie a knot with wet, slippery hands that are stiffened because of cold, windy, and rainy weather, there are also the difficulties of eyesight and steadiness that must be adequate to enable one to thread the line through the eyelet.
In an effort to overcome the problems associated with tying knots in or on the fishing line, one type of existing sinker has a strip of rubber extending through the center of the sinker and outward from the top to the bottom. When the fishing line has been inserted in this sinker and positioned along the line, the extending rubber ends are twisted in a secondary step to secure and fix the position of the sinker. While this eliminates the problem of having to cut the line to change the sinker, the sinker can only be attached to the line in a fixed position. Additionally, this type of fixed sinker is very expensive.
Alternatively, some sinkers have a fishing line-receiving slot which can be closed with extending tabs to trap the line. The fishing line is inserted in the slot and the sinker is positioned along the line. A secondary step then requires that the tabs be folded over the line to hold the sinker to the line. An advantage of this style sinker is that, depending on how tight the tabs are folded, the sinker may be positioned in a sliding or a fixed position. However, the tabs have a tendency to break off, requiring frequent replacement of the sinker.
U.S. Pat. No. 778,669 discloses a fish line float of elongated hydrodynamic design having a radial slot formed along the body for receipt therein of a fishing line. A pin is inserted in each end of the float, each pin having a loop at the exterior distal end thereof. The fishing line in the slot is thereafter threaded through the loops to hold the float in place on one's line. This invention does not allow slippage of the float even though the line need not be cut to put on or take off the float.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,137,341 discloses a float-popper having a central bore through which a fishing line is passed and then tethered therein by insertion of a tapered pin along the central axis. Again, this invention allows for addition of the float to the line without separating the line but does not allow slippage of the float along the line thereafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,628,279 discloses a fish lure retriever having a lengthwise slot formed in an outer circular metal casing and a radial slot formed in an inner tapered resilient plug that is adapted to slide partially in and out of the casing. The fishing line is slipped through both slots to mount the retriever on the line and then the retriever is lowered into the water to contact a snagged lure for recovery. Although this invention does not require any cutting or tying of the line, it does involve rethreading. More importantly however, this invention does not address any of the problems associated with fishing weights, because it is used to retrieve snagged lures.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,860 discloses a sinker having a radial slot for receipt of a fishing line and then the slot is filled with a thin rubber or plastic insert to keep the sinker from falling off of the line. In order to change sinkers, the insert must be pried out of the sinker/weight. Furthermore, if one wants to use the weight as a slip sinker, one must be careful not to reinsert the insert too far. Pushing the insert into the weight too far could cause the weight to be wedged tightly against the line which would inhibit or prevent the line from moving freely through the body of the weight, thus, causing the weight to not function like a slip sinker. Such an adjustment of the insert is time-consuming and does not solve the tournament fisherman's problem of the need for speed in changing or adding weight.
This patent also does not overcome the problem of changing weight when ones hands are cold, wet, and slippery. In order to add or change weight, one must pry out and push in the insert, which can be a painful and frustrating experience for one with cold, stiff fingers. Furthermore, cold weather causes finger dexterity to be limited so it can be difficult to hold and coordinate three separate parts (e.g., the line, the insert and the weight). Thus, difficulties remain with the invention taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,860.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,770 is directed to a quick on and off fishing sinker. However, it is still necessary to thread the sinker to have either a slip sinker or a stationary sinker.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,828 discloses another slip-on fishing weight having a cylindrical tube with a radial slot that can be turned inside the shell of the weight. Thus, this weight requires one to line up the slot in the cylindrical tube with the slot in the shell of the weight and then turn the same. A simpler system for attaching a weight to a line, without cutting or tying, is needed.